This invention concerns training devices for improving a user's ability to make basketball shots. The present inventor has previously invented such devices, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,402 issued on Dec. 10, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,617 issued on Dec. 21, 1993.
These devices each involve an elongated member held on the user's forearm, with a resistance member pivotally mounted to one end. A hemispherical engagement piece is mounted on the resistance member to be engaged by the fingers and palm of the user. Pivoting of the resistance member away by execution of a wrist bending and finger-hand movement is restrained by a spring force such as to very effectively develop the user's strength in executing a motion very similar to that used in actual shot making.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,402, the hemispherical piece is itself mounted to be able to rotate against resistance as the motion is executed to produce a more or less complete simulation of the shot making motion by allowing the hemispherical piece to undergo the reverse rotation normally induced in a basketball when a shot is made.
It is the object of the present invention to further improve this device by allowing an ordinary basketball to be used with the device, and also to simplify the components and make its structure less bulky.